Strengthening the Draft Seed Act, 2025

The Draft Seeds Bill, 2025, released by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, marks a significant step towards modernising India's seed regulatory framework. Aimed at replacing the Seeds Act, 1966 and the Seeds (Control) Order, 1983, the proposed legislation seeks to ensure the availability of high-quality seeds, promote innovation, strengthen transparency in the seed supply chain, and protect farmers' interests, while also improving ease of doing business. The draft has elicited varied responses from industry, farmers' organisations, and other stakeholders, reflecting both opportunities and concerns associated with the proposed reforms.

- DR SHARAN ANGADI, Director, Advanced Training in Plant Breeding - ATPBR Foundation

The Draft Seed Act, 2025 represents an important step toward modernising India’s seed regulation framework. However, the vegetable seed sector requires special consideration owing to its unique dynamics, short varietal life cycles, rapid innovation, diverse agro-climatic adaptability, and high private-sector participation. To ensure balanced growth and inclusivity, the Act can be further strengthened through targeted interventions that promote innovation, accountability, and farmer protection.

Vegetable crops typically have short commercial lifespans of three to five years, yet the current Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU) testing process extends over multiple seasons, delaying the market introduction of improved hybrids. A fast-track VCU protocol specifically designed for vegetables and other short-duration crops should be introduced, allowing multi-location private trials validated by accredited public laboratories. Private R&D data generated under NABL-accredited facilities must be formally recognised to avoid redundancy. Provisional registration for one season, based on preliminary VCU results, followed by post-release performance review, can help balance innovation with accountability. Developing crop-specific timelines, with single-season VCU testing for short-duration vegetables, will further accelerate innovation and availability.